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Re: Non-Colts thread

Watched last night's 49ers/Patriots game from a bar in Dallas. For better or worse, I knew I wouldn't get to town in time to see the Steelers play (but given the way our season has derailed, that's okay.) The bar at the hotel ended up with about 400 people in it after the stadium emptied out, and was about 50% Steelers jerseys and 50% Cowboys jerseys.

Interestingly enough, everybody got along fine after the game. And everybody gathered together to cheer for SF. It was quite hilarious how everybody wanted NE to lose. Not sure that many Cowboys fans in one place have ever agreed to cheer for the 49ers before. I get the Steelers dislike... Spygate actually did involve the Steelers, we've lost too many AFC Title games in Pittsburgh to those guys. But Dallas... they're not even in the same conference. What do they care?

What do you think about Florio's comment in today's power rankings?

15. Steelers: The franchise has had three coaches since 1969. More and more locals are ready for No. 4.

I don't pay much attention to the Steelers, but that comment surprised me a bit. Are there really Steelers fans who want Tomlin gone? I wouldn't want to ditch a coach that had taken my team to two Super Bowls in his six year tenure. It's not Tomlin's fault that Ben was hurt a couple games or that the defense is getting some age on it.

Re: Non-Colts thread

I've only seen one Pittsburgh game all year but given how they're doing now in addition to how they finished 2011, they strike me as a team in decline.

I would think their aging defense and injuries would be more of a factor in that than Tomlin. They have still been a solid defense, but they aren't as dominant as they used to be. Rivers and Romo fared off pretty well against them because of Taylor being out. Then there is the Ben injury too. He missed a few games and I doubt he's 100% yet.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Let's see. We're #1 in overall yards against. We're #1 in passing yards against. We're #4 in rushing yards against. We're #2 in defensive time of possession. We've given up fewer than 30 plays longer than 20 yards and 3 defensive plays longer than 40 yards all season, and while we've struggled against the run by our standards (being #4 and all), we force a lot of 3-and-outs but we aren't forcing turnovers and we aren't getting sacks.

Overall, I'm pretty happy that this is what we call a down year for our defense. Smith and Farrior retired. Harrison is finally getting back into game shape after a knee procedure. We've barely had Troy all season and Woodley has missed a lot of time and now Taylor has his broken leg. We've done this with our young backups and young starters playing a lot on the defensive side of the ball.

Our biggest problem is not defense, and its not offense, and it isn't even lack of turnovers, sacks, or big plays from the defense. (Hey, those guys force 3-and-out before they can make a turnover. Is that so terrible?). Our problem has been playing down to the level of inferior opponents. We're 7-7 with two quality losses (Baltimore, but at home and Denver on the road) and 5 that are tough to take: Oakland, Cleveland, San Diego, Dallas, Tennessee.) We've only got one quality win (@ Baltimore... I don't count wins over the Jets or Giants as "quality".)

Tomlin has never been as popular as Cowher. He basically admitted the team was unprepared for the SD game and that he quit on them when he didn't go for two (yes, it was over, blah blah...) And I thought they looked unprepared for the Cleveland game. Not pulling Leftwich with the broken rib against Baltimore probably cost them that game. I don't know what happened to Mendenhall but his suspension last week was alarming. This team is dysfunctional right now.

We've been poorly coached this season.

Do I want Tomlin replaced? I can only answer that with a question: is Cowher available?

This was going to be a transition year. You don't lose Aaron Smith, Hines Ward, and James Farrior without any consequence at all. And have Mendenhall, Hampton and Starks all tear ACLs in week #17 or the playoffs the previous January. And miss Troy, James and Ben (clearly our three best players) for multiple weeks of the season. And have your top three draft picks earn starting spots and then undergo serious injuries (DeCastro at RG, Adams at RT, Spence at ILB).

We'll be fine for quite a while down the road so I'm not about to panic. We've got a lot of young talent we're injecting - in the OL with Pouncey, Adams, DeCastro (debut last week), and Gibson. Young money receiving core. Good young DL with Heywood and Hood. Still need to find a NT instead of Ta'amu but okay. Woodley, Timmons and Worilds will keep up the LB reputation after Harrison retires. We need young help in the secondary but we always need help in the secondary and we're still #1 against the pass. And we need help at RB. We're a decent draft in the offensive and defensive backfields away from being back in the top 4 in the AFC.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Non-Colts thread

I don't think that a Dallas team with DeMarco Murray and a hot Tony Romo is inferior to a Pitt team with a battered Ben and without Ike Taylor.

Sure the D is still high in overall stats, but they've had way too many lapses against crappy teams to still be considered the elite defense that they used to be. Oakland put up 34 against them, Tennessee 26, Cleveland 20, San Diego 34, Dallas 27. I think Dallas is actually a decent team now, but those other teams aren't. Call it playing down to the opponent or whatever, but it looks to me like this is a defense that doesn't shut teams down like it used to, regardless of still being ranked high in overall statistics.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Tomlin seems to me to be in no way part of the problem in Pittsburgh. Injury, discord between Ben and the offensive coordinator, and some depth issues are at the top. Plus, isn't there the expectation that Dick Lebeau (now 75) is about to retire? It seems I remember hearing that there is an heir-apparent on the staff, but still... how do you replace one of the best D coordinators in history?

The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!)

The Following User Says Thank You to Slick Pinkham For This Useful Post:

Re: Non-Colts thread

It is shutting them down in a different way, and a less effective way overall. I guess you'd say the stats are somewhat misleading because the defense hasn't been on the field long enough to create disruptive turnovers and on an in-game basis they are losing the field position battles. Net punting has been a problem for us and our offense has its own share of 3-and-outs.

In spite of great defensive yard statistics, we're only #8 in points against. The lack of turnovers means that teams are getting more points out of fewer yards against us this season.

That's primarily because Troy and James have been hurt.

We're in the top-10 for touchdowns given up, but the bottom-10 for FGs given up. Those bad losses? Oakland by 3 (gave up two FGs in 4Q, including game winner as time expired), Tennessee by 3 (game winner as time expired), lost at home to Baltimore in which their only TD was a punt return, and the 8-turnover game against Cleveland.

Of those bad losses, I'm only blaming the defense for SF and Dallas, and that's in part because Ike Taylor was out. Yes, he drops a lot of potential interceptions. With hands like his, no wonder he's on the defensive side of the ball. But he can shut down anyone he wants.

This is a frustrating season, but I'm more concerned about lack of preparation and lack of focus against so-called inferior opponents than the defense per se. We've been reminded that the talent difference across the league really is small, and if you're not ready to play you'll lose to a "bad" team. Because the "bad" teams aren't really that bad.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Non-Colts thread

Tomlin seems to me to be in no way part of the problem in Pittsburgh. Injury, discord between Ben and the offensive coordinator, and some depth issues are at the top. Plus, isn't there the expectation that Dick Lebeau (now 75) is about to retire? It seems I remember hearing that there is an heir-apparent on the staff, but still... how do you replace one of the best D coordinators in history?

Keith Butler is the current LB coach and DC in waiting. He didn't join Steelers-West last winter because he was promised the DC position if Dick ever retires (which I doubt, he's still going strong.)

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

The Following User Says Thank You to ChicagoJ For This Useful Post:

Re: Non-Colts thread

I just get so tired of all of the national talk about the Jets. They are a pathetic team who doesn't warrant national discussion. I stop listening every time ESPN does a segment on them. I realize they play in New York and have a large fan base, but no one outside of NY cares about them. Talk about them in March when they are making personnel decisions, but not now. December is when you talk about teams who are either in the playoffs or competing for a playoff spot. You shouldn't waste your time talking about a bad team with the worst QB in the league.

The Following User Says Thank You to Sollozzo For This Useful Post:

Re: Non-Colts thread

Funny thing is if they were some top club who had a supreme history of success or a recent Super Bowl win and they failed miserably this year,I would kinda get it.But it's the Jets at the end of the day.

Re: Non-Colts thread

There has been considerable debate in recent weeks on whether or not the Green Bay Packers should replace place-kicker Mason Crosby. To this point, the Packers have stood behind him. It appears we were focused on the wrong veteran player.

Even after wrapping up the NFC North title, the Packers have taken an unexpected and curiously-timed action: Jeff Saturday won't be the Packers' starting center Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and perhaps beyond. Instead, third-year player Evan Dietrich-Smith -- who has been considered Saturday's heir apparent for 2013 -- will make his first career start at center.

Saturday Saturday didn't practice Wednesday and Thursday because of neck and shoulder injuries, but he returned Friday and coach Mike McCarthy said he was available to play against the Titans. But McCarthy confirmed that Dietrich-Smith will start, and Saturday told reporters that he didn't think his health was the reason for the change.

The Packers still have plenty to play for in their final two games, including a first-round playoff bye and possibly home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. So it wouldn't make sense to start experimenting at such an important position to evaluate future personnel needs. Mostly, the surprise nature of this move illustrates how difficult it is for outsiders -- at least fans and the media -- to judge offensive line play.

Saturday is 37 and we all smirked a bit when he finished atop fan voting for the Pro Bowl this week. But there is a big difference between a veteran who has perhaps slipped from his peak performance and one who is needs to be benched two weeks before the playoffs begin.

To be clear, Dietrich-Smith could be a long-term answer for the Packers. We knew that Saturday, signed as a free agent last winter after Scott Wells' departure, was always a stopgap answer. And there is support for Dietrich-Smith from some of the most important players in the locker room, most notably quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Last month, Rodgers said on his ESPN 540 radio show: "I think [Dietrich-Smith] has a very good approach to the game and he's a guy who’s going to be -- I'm not going to make any bold, crazy predictions -- but I do feel pretty certain that he's going to be with us for a long time and eventually be the starting center."

The Packers clearly have decided that time has come. But no matter how much potential Dietrich-Smith has displayed in practice, or during seven spot starts at guard over the past two seasons, I doubt the Packers would have made this move so late in the season if Saturday were playing better.

I won't pretend that my amateur eye had noticed an obvious deficiency in Saturday's performance over the previous 14 games. Nor had I heard many rumblings from football people who know a lot more than me. Our friends at Pro Football Focus have Saturday rated as their 30th-best center in the NFL, based on run and pass blocking, but sometimes centers are valued more for their ability to make calls and set protections than pure blocking.

Historically, the Packers have more often than not made the right decision when elevating a young player into the starting lineup. That transition usually occurs in the offseason, but the Packers apparently didn't want to wait on this one.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Yeah, well I think we all saw this last year when he was with the Colts, he lost it a while ago, so ridiculous that he got voted to the pro bowl game, it is basically just a popularity contest, especially with o lineman. I guess he will be back in indy next year with a front office position.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Patriots-Dolphins has been flexed to 4:25, so the Pats will know by kickoff if Houston has won or lost to the Colts.

A Houston win may cause them to rest banged-up starters from their long injury list, because they will probably assume Denver beats KC in Mile High. The Patriots are known for NOT resting people, but if a bye is not a realistic option they have done so in the past. I could see Welker, Hernandez, Talib, Dennard, and maybe even Brady sitting after a series, and Gronk not playing at all again. Miami's D is tough.

The relevance? A Ravens win and a Patriots loss vs. Miami gets the Pats a #4 seed and a playoff game vs. the Colts.

So... beating Houston may just help you avoid the Patriots and play the Ravens instead, while handing the Patriots a bye. All of New England is pulling for you!

The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!)

Re: Non-Colts thread

Jeff Saturday has been quoted this week that his benching is not health related and amounts to "a passing of the torch" to the Packers next in line. I can't wait for Jeff to be back in Indy. I wonder what kind of a role they have in mind for him? His degree from UNC is in busness. If the Colts get eliminated, I'll be pulling for the Packers to get Jeff another ring.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Jeff Saturday has been quoted this week that his benching is not health related and amounts to "a passing of the torch" to the Packers next in line. I can't wait for Jeff to be back in Indy. I wonder what kind of a role they have in mind for him? His degree from UNC is in busness. If the Colts get eliminated, I'll be pulling for the Packers to get Jeff another ring.

Kind of weird for a playoff team to change starting centers this late in the season when injuries aren't a factor. Has Saturday not been playing well?

Re: Non-Colts thread

Once again, Romo and the Cowboys have the opportunity to win the division on the final day of the season. They had this same opportunity in 08 and 11, but lost both times (Philly and NYG). For some reason, I've always kind of liked Romo. I'd like to see Dallas win this game.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Getty Images
Former Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell says he was stunned to learn last week that his former teammate, Lomas Brown, has admitted to intentionally missing a block because he wanted Mitchell to get hurt.

Mitchell told Mike Florio on the Dan Patrick Show that Brown always acted like a friend to his face, and Mitchell was shocked to find out what Brown thought about him.

“It just really hurt,” Mitchell said. “It was extremely disappointing. I’m really shocked by it, to be honest. Here’s a guy I’ve had in my house, I had a big dinner for the offensive linemen every year, he came to my house and ate dinner, I gave my offensive linemen gifts every year. For him to do that is just reprehensible, beyond words. It’s really disappointing, it really is painful. When you mess with my family, mess with my livelihood, mess with my health, it’s unacceptable. It’s B.S. I just wouldn’t do it to a teammate. I wouldn’t do it. If Lomas has a problem with me, come talk to me. To try to get someone hurt, it’s just mind-boggling.”

Mitchell suffered a broken finger on his passing hand when Brown allowed Packers defensive end Sean Jones to get a free shot at him in a 1994 game. That injury ended Mitchell’s season, and Mitchell noted that it could have been a lot worse than a broken finger.

“People get seriously hurt in this game,” Mitchell said. “For someone to just lay down like that, it’s unacceptable.”

Mitchell said former teammates, including ex-Lions star receiver Herman Moore, have reached out and told him that Brown was clearly in the wrong. And obviously, those teammates are right. What Brown did is appalling, and Mitchell has every reason to consider Brown reprehensible.

Re: Non-Colts thread

Once again, Romo and the Cowboys have the opportunity to win the division on the final day of the season. They had this same opportunity in 08 and 11, but lost both times (Philly and NYG). For some reason, I've always kind of liked Romo. I'd like to see Dallas win this game.

Re: Non-Colts thread

I'm happy for you as a loyal Skins fan that you get to see this game. This should be extremely entertaining and I do think the Redskins will win the game. I'm sure the District is buzzing right now. NBC made a great choice putting this on Sunday Night. Should get massive ratings.

Re: Non-Colts thread

It's hard not to think Alfred Morris is the true stud on the 'Skins. 200 yards 3 TDs? Dude had 1600+ yards and 13 TDs rushing in his rookie season... that's ridiculous. RG3 with 50% completed for 100 yards? They rode Alfred Morris into the playoffs, not RG3. I also saw a stat that the Skins are like 9-1 with Garcon and 1-5 without him. RG3 was replaced fairly readily by Kirk Cousins.

Last edited by Kid Minneapolis; 12-30-2012 at 11:47 PM.

There are two types of quarterbacks in the league: Those whom over time, the league figures out ... and those who figure out the league.